


Friends Of All Kinds

by ObscureReference



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Developing Friendships, Gen, Snakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 12:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11207670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: Henry had always gotten along well with beasts. His son was no exception.---"Odin was a little old to seriously consider keeping a snake for a pet now, but he could quietly admit the idea still appealed to him."





	Friends Of All Kinds

**Author's Note:**

> I constantly flip-flip between Owain/Odin having Henry or Lon'qu as a father. I like the idea of both for different reasons. 
> 
> Henry mentioned having a wolf as a friend in his childhood in one of his supports. It's reported he gets along with different animals like that on the FE wiki, but I also remember Minerva biting him once in Cherche's support. So maybe it's only certain creatures he can bond with? Non-domesticated ones. Either way, I figure that trait might pass down to his child, and so here we are. 
> 
> Me? Write a gen fic with no magic or supernatural elements? Gasp!

The snake’s scales felt warm and dry under Owain’s touch. He marveled at the way it flicked its tongue, practically kissing his cheek. He giggled.

The snake curled slightly more around his neck at the motion, steadying itself, but it still hung loosely at his shoulders. Owain’s mother had never talked about friendly snakes before, but he thought this one was the friendliest of all.

Hadn’t Father talked about meeting friendly animals before? Father had a wolf for a friend as a kid. Maybe Owain could have a snake for a friend now.

Owain gasped. The snake flicked its tongue again, its tan scales glittering in the sunlight.

A snake for a friend would be so _cool_. He thought Inigo might run away if he saw it, but that was okay. Inigo was kind of a baby anyway, but if he had a snake friend of his own, Owain thought maybe Inigo would be braver and speak up more. Plus, didn’t Gerome have a wyvern friend? Owain liked Minerva a lot, even if Minerva belonged to Gerome’s mom and not Gerome. A snake was basically the same thing as a wyvern anyway. They were both scaly. Owain’s snake wasn’t nearly as big as Minerva anyway. Mother couldn’t complain about lack of space for a pet.

“Hey, little guy!”

Owain looked up. His snake did as well, twisting around itself for the source of the voice. Father had found them. Owain guessed he hadn’t hidden very well, even if he was in the woods.

Father cocked his head. “I think I won this round. What do you have there?”

“He’s my friend!” Owain announced. Maybe the snake was a girl. He would have to make sure before he named it. Either way, they were for sure friends now. The snake had been the one to fall on Owain from the tree branches above in the first place, so obviously the snake agreed.

“Looks like it!” Father agreed. “What type of snake do you think that is? Maybe a really venomous one!”

Maybe. Owian hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe he could have a _venomous_ snake for a friend. Ingio would run away for _sure_. Owain giggled at the thought.

Father crouched down next to Owain and his new friend. It didn’t seem like the snake minded, though it did flick its tongue in Father’s direction. It had done that to Owain several times already. He figured that meant the snake liked Father too.

The snake shifted, its tail hanging off Owain’s shoulder. It moved its mouth closer to Owain’s ear. It’s breath on Owain’s skin tickled. Owain laughed.

Father smiled back at them.

“Can I see?” he asked.

Owain nodded. Father gently placed his fingers under the snake’s body and carefully unwound the reptile from Owain’s neck and shoulders. The snake wiggled in Father’s grasp, but Father kept a tight grip.

“I don’t think your mother would like it very much if we came home with a snake,” Father said, standing up. He and Mother were the same height, and while they in no way compared to the giant that was Uncle Chrom, they were still a million feet tall to Owain.

“Please?” Owain begged. “He’s really nice!”

Father’s smile grew. “I’m sure he is! But I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring him home.”

Owain pushed himself to his feet. He didn’t yet reach his father’s hip. Above him, his new friend curled around Father’s hands, resigned to its new home.

“Why not?” Father could have a wolf for a friend, but Owain couldn’t have a snake?

Father looked down at him, but he didn’t look upset with Owain. He almost never did. “Well, for one thing, he might scare your mother. You wouldn’t want to scare her, would you?”

Owain’s shoulders drooped. He hadn’t considered that.

“No,” he mumbled, eyes downcast. He felt his father ruffle his hair, and that was almost enough to quench the disappointment at losing a new friend.

Father stopped ruffling Owain’s hair, but he didn’t move away, letting his hand rest there instead. “We can’t take him home with us, but maybe you and I can come out here and visit him sometimes. Does that sound good to you?”

Owain sniffed. They could still visit? That was great!

“Yeah!”

Father’s hand drifted from Owain’s head to his shoulder. He squeezed Owain’s shoulder, and Owain felt a little better.

“Come on,” Father said, moving a few feet away and crouching down. “We have to let this guy go for now, but we’ll be back. I think it’s almost time for lunch.”

He released the snake. It didn’t hesitate before slithering off into the bushes, disappearing from Owain’s life. Owain frowned.

Then his stomach gurgled. He was really hungry.

He hopped over to Father’s side. “What’s for lunch?”

Father hummed, considering. “I don’t know. I guess it’ll be a surprise! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Yes!” Owain cheered. He hoped there would be sandwiches.

Father laughed and reached for his hand. Owain took it. Father’s hand was much bigger than Owain’s, which was cool. He hoped he would be as big as Father one day. He was still a little sad about the snake, but if Father said they could go back, then they would. Dogs and snakes and wyverns like Minerva didn’t like Owain very much, but if that snake did, Owain was grateful to finally have an animal friend. It wasn’t fair that everyone else got along with animals and he didn’t. Yarne didn’t count. He was glad they would get to go back and visit.

Halfway back, Owain’s legs grew tired, so Father picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. Owain liked that too. Up on his father’s back, he felt on top of the world.

 

 

 

A weight settled upon his shoulders like a familiar embrace, and that alone was nearly enough for Odin to slip into a comfortable sleep.

Then he remembered he was in the middle of a warzone and mystery touches in his sleep was a bad thing.

He awoke from his doze with a jerk, his eyes snapping open as he straightened. He didn’t reach for his sword; enough time had passed that he had broken himself of that habit, even if the urge still tickled in the back of his mind. The rough bark at his back reminded him that he had chosen to rest in a clearing among the trees, and the thin, cat-slit eyes two inches from Odin’s own told him not to move.

He froze.

The snake that had settled around his shoulders and curled back around to look Odin in the eye was _big_. Bigger than most snakes Odin had ever seen in Ylisse by far. He knew the creatures of Nohr were more hostile than the ones he was used to by far, but even this came with some surprise. The snake—with its charcoal scales, pointy snout and smart, unwavering eyes that bore way too deeply into Odin’s—was perhaps as thick as Odin’s bicep. For all he had given up swordplay as of late, Odin still had a decent sized bicep.

As far as snakes went, this was a large one. Odin was very careful not to breathe.

The snake flicked its tongue out at him. It brushed Odin’s nose the way a butterfly’s wing might.

Odin relaxed.

“Well met, friend,” he said, his breath no doubt tickling the snake’s face. The snake was unfazed. “From where do you hail? Perhaps the treetops above, hm?” He examined the snake again. It looked rather heavy to be traversing the thin, sometimes sickly trees of Nohr. Its weight on his shoulders felt like no easy burden. “No, perhaps not.”

The snake opened its mouth as though it were yawning. Odin thought he could fit a fist inside that maw.

“Tired, are you?” he asked. “I was as well before you came creeping up on me like that.”

The snake weighed heavily on his shoulders, its tail curled loosely around his arm. It didn’t appear to care that it had interrupted his nap.

“I’ll forgive you for now,” Odin said.

The snake blinked lazily. It did not seem to be in a hurry to leave.

Odin was debating the merits of getting to know his knew scaly friend or falling back asleep when a rustling in the bushes caught his attention.

Niles stepped out from between the trees, a leaf caught in his hair and looking not at all pleased to have come this far out of his way. His good eye landed on Odin the moment he stepped into the clearing.

“Must you laze so far away from camp?” Niles chided. “Lord Leo—”

He stiffened. Odin frowned, but before he could move, Niles had his bow out and an arrow aimed right at Odin’s head.

Odin yelped. Or, as he liked to think of it, he released a very manly and heroic call of surprise.

“Odin,” Niles growled. “Do _not_ move.”

For a moment Odin failed to register what could have made Niles so unsettled. Then he remembered the snake.

Odin couldn’t help himself. He smiled. “Niles, my comrade, do not tell me you are afraid of this little creature–”

“That thing is _not_ little,” Niles said lowly, his arrow aimed true. “That’s a quicksilver snake, and it will kill you in a second. And if you would lower your hand, I will save your life.”

Truthfully, Odin _had_ been considering petting his new reptile friend. His hand hung in the air, inches away from the snake’s dark head, and right in the way to block Niles from a clear shot.

The snake hung confidently from Odin’s shoulders, uncaring.

“You’re not a fan of reptilians, I see,” Odin said. “Fear not! I shall send him on his way for you.”

Niles gritted his teeth. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Odin reached up to pull the snake off his shoulders.

Niles did not like that _at all_. He somehow stiffened even more, eye trained on the snake like a prime predator. Odin had no doubt that if he let him, Niles would have shot the snake dead a hundred times over.

“ _Stop_.”

Odin ignored him. He gripped the snake behind the head, gently but firmly, and unraveled it from around his neck. In turn, the snake wasn’t exactly willing, but it did not fight as much as Odin expected. It wiggled, but Odin held tight, lifting the snake from his shoulders and holding it in front of him.

Admittedly, the snake was a little on the hefty side, but it was nothing Odin couldn’t handle. The snake was helpless in his grasp. Just a helpless little friend. Something about that felt familiar.

He could feel Niles’ eye trained on him as Odin stood up and walked several feet away, facing away from camp. He knelt near some tall grass and let the snake go. It slithered off into the brush without looking back.

Odin turned around. Niles’ arrow hadn’t wavered.

“Wow, you really don’t like snakes, do you?” Odin teased.

Niles squinted at him. After a moment, he lowered his bow, albeit reluctantly.

“Do you have some kind of death wish?” he asked, incredulous, sounding as if he were really considering it. “That thing’s venom is stronger than any poison known to man. You would be dead before you hit the ground.”

“So I gather that beast is famous in these parts?”

“If you consider the most venomous, aggressive snake found in this kingdom to be famous, then yes,” Niles said. He did not step any closer, notably eyeing the space by Odin’s feet, watching for the snake’s return. Odin decided to meet Niles on his side of the clearing instead. “That creature is every traveler’s nightmare. How did you keep it from biting you?”

“It was all the serpent’s doing, not mine,” Odin said. At Niles’ unconvinced stare, he added, “I speak the truth! I lay here, just beginning my traverse into the world of dreams and slumber when I felt the creature come upon me. Luckily it seemed to be looking for allies and not foes.”

He finally met Niles on his side of the clearing, only for Niles to immediately pull at Odin’s sleeves and collar, no doubt inspecting for some bite wound he thought Odin too stupid to have felt. Odin let him, knowing there was no other way to placate Niles than firsthand experience.

“Weren’t you the one who said I would be dead in a moment if it had bit me?” Odin asked.

Niles released him. “Excuse me if I’m finding it hard to believe that a snake that has been known to strike calmer creatures than yourself for the mere crime of existing simply crawled into your lap and let you be.”

“Careful,” Odin warned. “Any more comments like that and it will sound like you care about me.”

Niles stared. He had done a lot of that this afternoon.

“You’re an idiot,” he drawled.

Odin sighed. He had expected nothing less. By the gods, did he miss his friends.“Weren’t you saying something about Lord Leo earlier?”

A beat passed. Niles kept watching him.

“Yes,” Niles said. “We’re wanted back at camp.”

He did not move. After a moment, Odin began to step his way through the brush and Niles reluctantly followed.

After a minute of walking in silence passed, Niles said, “I’d understand if you were merely unfamiliar with that particular snake considering you clearly aren’t from around here, but any snake by itself is enough to spook the average man. How did you manage to keep calm with it wrapped around your neck like that?”

He sounded genuinely curious.

Odin shrugged, carefully picking his way through the brush now that he knew to keep an eye out for the wildlife. He inspected every stick they passed for scales. “Why would I be afraid?”

“Not afraid of snakes then?” It sounded like Niles was filing that information away for later. “What about other animals? Wolves or bears, for example.”

“If I’m meeting them on the road and we are not enemies? No.”

Niles tilted his head, considering. “And why not?”

Why should Odin be afraid? His father had never been afraid. Neither had Odin. Beasts like that may have had sharper teeth, but it wasn’t like Odin hadn’t carried around a sword of his own for years. Everything could be dangerous when they put their mind to it. They could be equally friendly with the same amount of effort.

“I was not hostile towards it, so why should it be hostile towards me?” Odin asked. Niles furrowed his brow. “They are animals, not soulless beasts. Treat them well, and they shall do the same for you.”

Niles squinted at him. Either that, or he was feeling the beginnings of a migraine. It wasn’t uncommon for Niles to complain of those in Odin’s presence.

“You are strange,” Niles said.

Odin shrugged, ignoring the brief stab of hurt in his chest. Part of him was secretly disappointed; Niles just didn’t get it at all.

“But,” Niles continued, surprising him. “Perhaps your way of thinking could benefit others.”

He sounded contemplative. Then he frowned. “Though you will not catch me cuddling with any beast that could strike me down as quick as the one back there.”

He nudged Odin’s ribs with his elbow. It was perhaps the friendliest gesture Odin had received since joining Lord Leo’s service. A surge of warmth flooded his chest.

“It would be a hassle to replace you,” Niles said, not looking his way. “Especially now that we’re at war.”

Odin thought that was Niles’ way of saying he cared. He thought about the way Niles had frozen so completely when he saw the serpent wrapped around his neck and smiled. It had been easy to feel isolated in Nohr, especially when Laslow and Selena were running around on their own quests most of the time. The reminder that Odin wasn’t alone was refreshing.

“I will endeavor to keep a better eye on my surroundings in the future,” he said.

Niles hummed.

Odin was a little old to seriously consider keeping a snake for a pet now, but he could quietly admit the idea still appealed to him. They were older and hopefully wiser now, but Odin still though Laslow would run if he saw Odin coming with a snake. His lips twitched at the thought.

Niles eyed him. “Something funny?”

Odin shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. “Let’s see what Lord Leo needs.”

Niles said nothing. He looked at the path ahead.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mean for this to take the tone it did, or to place it so early in the Fates timeline (since Odin mentions not being in Leo's service for very long), but here we are. It surprised me, but I like it. 
> 
> Henry is canonically said to be a kind and loving father, and I think he'd change a little around a kid of his own (or at least with Lissa's influence telling him things like "Don't let our kid play with dangerous snakes," even if Henry himself wouldn't have seen it as an issue when he was a child.)
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below or hmu at my [tumblr!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/)


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